Neophytos Kaphsokalyvites (1713-1784?) and the Kollyvades movement

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleΝεόφυτος Καυσοκαλυβίτης (1713-1784;) και το «Κίνημα των Κολλυβάδων»
3. Language term Greek, Modern (1453-)
4. lemma author Koutalis, Vangelis
5. lemma category Conflict - Key thinkers - Orthodox theological tradition and practice > Premodern _modern_ postmodern - Ecumenism and dialogue > Westernism and anti-westernism
6. Publication date 26-02-2017
7. lemma work Bargeliotes, Leonidas [Author]. Neophytos Kaphsokalyvites (1713-1784?) and the Kollyvades movement
8. lemma manifestations ΣΧΟΛΗ
9. Keywords Kollyvades movement - Kaphsokalyvites, Neophytos - Anthrakites, Methodios - Zerzoulis, Nikolaos - Voulgaris, Eugenios - Paisios of Nikomedia - Dorotheos of Lesvos - Western culture - rationalism - sacramental life of the Church
10. Citations
    1. <p>Bargeliotis, L. [Μπαρτζελιώτης, Λ.] (2008). Νεόφυτος Καυσοκαλυβίτης (1713-1784;) και το «Κίνημα των Κολλυβάδων». <em>ΣΧΟΛΗ</em>, <em>2</em>, 253-264.</p>
11. Lemma body

    1. The author attempts to assess the involvement of Neophytos Kaphsokalyvites in the Kollyvades Movement, by placing it in the context of the 18th century conflict between the Enlightenment and the conservative ecclesiastical Orthodox tradition. On the one side, the representatives of the Enlightenment fostered the rational approach to reality, the abstractive reasoning process of mathematics, and the recovery of the sciences, in consonance with the liberal appeals to political freedom. On the other side, the representatives of the Aristotelian-scholastic conservatism defended the grammatical learning, called for a retreat back into the traditional culture and fabricated accusations against the scholars who promulgated the new scientific ideas. This is what was at stake in the controversies between Methodios Anthrakites and Paisios of Nikomedia, Nikolaos Zerzoulis and Dorotheos of Lesvos, Eugenios Voulgaris and Neophytos Kaphsokalyvites. Especially in the case of Voulgaris, the author believes that the critical and flexible eclecticism evinced in the writings of this scholar, wherein Hellenism and Orthodoxy coexist and harmonize with each other, should be regarded as an emblematic example of bridging cultural differences and doing away with religious fanaticism.

       Contrary to the synthetic, critically eclectic, approach of Voulgaris, the leading figures of the Kollyvades Movement, which was occasioned by the decision in 1754 of the monks in the Skete of St. Anne, on Mount Athos, to transfer for practical reasons the memorial services for the dead from Saturday to Sunday, displayed persistent devotion to the sacramental life of the Church. Their relation both to the Enlightenment and to the conservatism zealotism was contradictory. These leading figures, such as Neophytos Kaphsokalyvites, Nikodemus of the Holy Mountain and Athanasius of Paros, aspired to be pursuers of truth, competent to exercise objective independent judgment on ecclesiastical issues, or even to criticize decisions made by synods, but at the same time they extolled the value of the common mind and aligned themselves uncritically with religious tradition. As for Neophytos himself, his stubborn, unresolved and dead-end philosophical and religious stance was mirrored in his turbulent career as an educator, his moving from school to school and his involvement in consecutive controversies.